


Fragments of Memory

by Stormchaser (crzykittyfangirl)



Category: Amnesia (Game & Anime)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:55:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24243889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crzykittyfangirl/pseuds/Stormchaser
Summary: Heroine (Shira) has fragments of memories. She can remember a kind voice and someone braiding her hair. She dreams of someone telling her they loved her and how happy they were that she was by their side. It isn't until the latest world when she begins to get to know a strange man named Ukyo that her dreams and memory fragments begin to make sense. Shira begins to remember more and more and the closer she gets to the strange and kind man. The more she knows about him, the more she begins to realize there is more to him than meets the eye  and they are more entangled than she ever imagined.*Basically an ending AU where she begins to remember sooner and chooses his world after going through the doors.
Relationships: Heroine/Ukyo (Amnesia)
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

Every time she took out her braid to sleep then redid it the next morning she always did it with her eyes closed. For when she did, she could almost feel long, gentle fingers running through her hair then softly and efficiently braiding her hair. If she kept her eyes closed longer she could hear on the edges of her consciousness, a kind vaguely familiar voice in her ear telling her that they were done and she could move now if she wanted to. The first time Orion witnessed her doing this, he had questioned her seeming quite confused. When she had explained, he told her it was probably a vague memory fragment from her original world.

Sometimes when she wakes, she can remember a fragment of a dream. In it, she always feels safe and loved, there’s long hair tickling her cheek and a soft, kind, vaguely familiar voice whispering they loved her and that they were so happy she was by their side. She’s never told Orion, the details have always trickled away like water anyway by the time she’s fully awake, no matter how hard she tries to hold onto them. But, throughout the day she can feel a sense of love. She only wishes she could remember who this person was. She always got the sense that whoever this person was, she had loved them in return and she desperately wanted to remember them. 

In the latest world, there’s a strange but familiar man named Ukyo. She doesn’t know why she knows him or why his voice resonates with her so much but perhaps he does. He says and does odd things sometimes that makes her think that maybe he can answer her questions. One day, they are heading somewhere together and he takes her hand. It startles her and he drops it. But the feeling of his hand around hers feels so familiar yet she doesn’t think she ever held his hand before. She decides to ask him about holding her hand as well as her braid. She has a feeling he knows about that. 

“Ukyo san?”

“Hn? Ah yes what is it?”

“When-Ah when you held my hand just now...I don’t think we’ve ever done that before but at the same time….I-It-Having your hand around mine felt really familiar like we’d held hands lots of times before.”

His green and red eyes widen. “What-You-” He stutters a bit before speaking again. “You-That is-You remember that?” His voice is shaking and he takes her hand in his again. She can feel his hand trembling. 

“So-We have? Why-Did I know you before? If I did, I’m sorry I don’t remember. And no It's not that I remember specific times, just the feeling.”

“I see. It makes me really happy that you remember even that.” He says, the joy in his voice is overwhelming and a soft smile comes onto his face.

She smiles back at him, something about his smile is so warm and beautiful but there’s a sadness in it. She has an urge to hug him and never let him go again. But that’s silly right? Don’t they hardly know each other?

“I-There’s something else I wanted to ask you about.”

“R-Really? What is it?”

“I-” She holds up her braid. “When-Every time I do my braid in the morning I do it with my eyes closed-There-When I do that I can almost feel someone else’s long fingers braiding it for me. They’re gentle and warm-When I finish the braid can almost hear someone telling me I can get up now, that they’re done. The voice is-Well your voice reminds me of it-I-I’m sorry….It sounds kind of silly doesn’t it?”

His eyes are wide and his hand in hers is trembling again, so much that she can feel the sensation in her arm. She puts her other hand around his to try and stop him trembling so much. She muses that to an outside observer they would look like lovers. 

“No-You-You really remember that? I-We did used to know each other and I used to sometimes braid your hair.”

“So-It's you. Yours is the voice I hear?”

“You-Do you really-Ah even if you don’t remember everything, the fact that you remember that-Hn, I can’t express how happy I am.” He says then gently pulls his hand out of hers and embraces her. She stands there in surprise for a moment remembering how he said not to get too close to him but then, decides to just enjoy the moment and hugs him back. Her head is on his chest and she can hear his heart pounding.

She wonders if this means it's also him in the dream she can never remember once she wakes up fully. The one that always gives such a strong sense of love and belonging. She wonders if he’s from her original world or if perhaps this is her original world and she’s meeting him again. 

Suddenly he stiffens and pulls away. She immediately misses the warmth of his arms around her and the cinnamon smell of his hair. “Ah, I’m sorry. I know you don’t remember me...and you really shouldn’t be close to me anyway.”

“Mhmm, it's ok. It was really nice. You give very good hugs, Ukyo san.”

“You’re too kind. Thank you Shira.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Ah...it's getting dark. You should probably go. I’m-It's not safe to be around once it gets dark. Not that it's really safe to be around me when it's light but especially when it's dark. You might be able to see me tomorrow.”

“Ok, See you tomorrow Ukyo san. I really enjoyed hanging out with you today.”  
He smiles and she can see tears in his eyes. Seeing his tears gives her a strong urge to hug him again but isn’t sure if he would appreciate it since he was the one who said he wasn’t safe. But, in the corner of her mind, the part that remembers him wants to feel his arms around her again. 

“You need to go, Please. It's really not safe around me once it gets dark, especially since we’re alone.”

“I-” She starts not knowing what exactly she wants to say but doesn’t really want to leave him. She can’t stop herself any longer and gives into her urge, throwing her arms around him.

He stiffens and then slowly puts his arms around her. He then leans down and whispers in her ear. She sighs softly, breathing in the warm cinnamon smell of his hair. “Hn, I really shouldn’t let you do this so close to dark but I can’t help it. I love having you close too much.” He sighs quietly then lets go and pulls away. “You must go. It's not safe. Please. I’ll try to contact you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Goodbye Ukyo san.” She says then turns and runs off before she gets the urge to stay again.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once she turns the corner she sighs, continuing towards her apartment. “What was that Orion?”

“I don’t know. It seems you probably knew him.”

“I feel drawn to him, and I can’t stay away. He’s said not to get near him but there’s something about him that just-I feel this pull towards him that I can’t resist and don’t know how to.”

“That-I don’t know what to tell you Shira. It's possible that he’s somehow from your original world. That you knew him before you lost your memories, and you were probably quite close.”

“I think I must have.”

“It's very possible, considering the way he reacted.”

“Yeah.”

“Though, I’m not sure how he would be moving from World to world or why he’s so insistent that you stay away from him.”

“It is odd. Though, remember that time we saw him sleeping and when we woke him up, he was crazy?”

“Yeah, that is interesting, now that I think about that and the fact that he’s always saying to stay away from him, I wonder if he has some sort of split personality?”

“You think so?”

“It's possible.


	2. chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shira sees Ukyo again

She sat down on her bed, closing her eyes and undoing her braid. This time though, she pictures Ukyo. His long fingers running through her hair and warmth of his chest behind her and the cinnamon smell of his hair tickling her nose. 

“Did you remember something? I saw a flash of something.” Orion says startling her and breaking her out of her thoughts.

“Oh. No, well not really. I just-that braid thing that I’ve mentioned before when I undid it just now, I was thinking of Ukyo san.”

“Hmm, I see. You really like him huh?”

She blushes. “I suppose I do. There’s just something about him.”

“I think you definitely knew him before, not only do you have such a strong reaction to him, he seems to know you as well.”

“Yeah, I think so too. Let’s look for him tomorrow Orion.”

“Okay, but we should be careful though. We don’t want to encounter that other him.”

“I know. But I have to see him.”

“Alright. See you in the morning Shira.”

“Goodnight Orion.”

“Night.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
She is awoken the next morning by her phone ringing. “Hmm?” She mumbles, blinking and sitting up. “Whose calling so early?”  
She throws off her covers and walks over to her desk picking up her phone. 

“Okay not so early. It's 10:30 on a saturday. Oh, I better answer though, it's Ukyo san.” She mutters and quickly answers the phone.

“Ohayao Ukyo san.”

“Ohayao, I hope I didn’t wake you up. I tried to wait until a reasonable hour.”

“Ah it's ok. I needed to get up anyway, I would have slept the day away otherwise. How are you?”

“Hmm, there’s no need to worry about me, but it makes me happy that you asked. I’m alright thank you. Ah anyway I called to see if you would like to meet me for coffee and perhaps a walk after.”

“I would love to! Should I meet you outside my building?”

“That sounds good. Can you be ready in thirty minutes?”

“Sure. See you then, Ukyo san.”

“See you.” he says and then hangs up.

“You better get dressed if you want to be ready in time.” Orion says

“I know.” She says and stretches a bit before going over to her closet and picking out one of her typical white collared shirts, a dark blue dress, black and white tights and her beloved rose pin paired with her usual black overcoat and white ankle boots. 

She quickly puts on the ensemble then goes to the bathroom and quickly does her usual rose before closing her eyes and braiding her hair.

Once she’s done she opens her eyes and emerges back into the main room, grabbing her hat off the stand and putting it on. She then puts her phone, keys and wallet in her bag before sitting down with a sigh. 

“How’d I do Orion?”

“Amazing Shira! It's only 10:45. You still have fifteen minutes before Ukyo arrives but you might want to leave a little early.”

“Okay. Thanks Orion.”

“You’re welcome!” He says grinning and putting his arms behind his head and leaning back a bit, his legs stretched out in front of him as he reclined in midair. She smiles a bit, he was adorable but she didn’t think he would appreciate it if she told him that. 

She is startled by a knock at the door. “Who would that be? Could it be Ukyo?” Orion questions.

“I don’t know, maybe.” She says standing then grabbing her bag and heading toward the door. 

She opens it to see Ukyo looking a bit sheepish. “Ah sorry. I got here a bit early and so I thought I might as well come up.”

“That’s alright. Shall we go?”

“Yes, right.” He says still seeming a bit awkward. 

She grins at him and comes outside, shutting and locking the door behind her.  
“So what coffee shop are we going to?”

“Oh it's one down past the station. It's a bit of a walk. Sorry.”

“Ah no, that’s ok, I don’t mind.” She says

“I’m glad.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ukyo and Heroine (Shira) go to a cafe

“Are you sure there was a coffee shop here, Ukyo san?”

“I-I thought so….” He says looking quite confused. “Maybe there was in the last world but not this one? Ah...this is confusing….I’m sorry for dragging you so far.”

“Other worlds? Does that mean he’s traveled to other worlds too?” Orion asks

“I don’t know. Maybe.” She says quietly under her breath, knowing Orion would be able to hear her but not Ukyo. She then quickly spoke again at a normal volume so she could answer Ukyo. “That’s ok. I like hanging out with you Ukyo san. We can go to a coffee shop I know if you want.”

“Ah your too kind and that sounds fine, but it's a bit late for coffee now.”

“That’s true. Why don’t we get some lunch? There’s a nice cafe right inside the station.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to keep you from doing something you need to be doing today.”

“There’s nothing I’d rather be doing right now.”

“Oh…” He says his eyes filling with tears and he takes her hand in his and just like before, she can feel his hand trembling. “You shouldn’t be so kind to me, I-I might take advantage of it.”

“Hmm, what do you mean?”

“Well, I-I might kiss you or hug you or-” He shook his head. “Sorry.”

“Mhmm, that’s alright. Hmm, maybe not the kissing at least not yet but hugs I don’t mind.”

“But you should! We hardly know each other and besides I’m dangerous. You really shouldn’t be close to me.”

“I don’t care. I may not remember you up here,” she taps her temple with her free hand then continues speaking. “But, I remember you in here.” She says putting a hand over her heart. 

His eyes widen and he gasps slightly then he lets go of her hand and pulls her against him, wrapping his arms around her and burying his nose in her hair. “Hn...You-Saying things like that….ah you’re going to make me fall for you even more…..and I really shouldn’t….I’m already in too deep as it is.”

She sighs softly breathing in the warm cinnamon smell of his hair putting her arms tight around his back. Her head is resting on his chest and she can hear his heart beating quite fast. “You-I may not be in love with you but you’re important to me Ukyo san and I really want to remember you.”

“Ah, you-You really shouldn’t do that….I’m not safe for you….especially when your so close to me like this….But I wish-” He trails off letting out a breath, ruffling her hair. “I can’t though ...he’ll hurt you, the longer your close to me….the more in danger you’ll be.”

She frowns at his words, hating how broken and sad he sounded and wondered if the him he mentioned was his other personality. But, she liked that being this close to him, she could feel his voice rumbling in his chest. Being in his arms like this felt warm and familiar. She wonders once again if it's him in the dream she can never quite remember, the one that always makes her feel so loved. She wants to comfort him but doesn’t know the right words to say. After another moment he tenses and she can feel the muscles in his back tighten under her hands before he pulls away. He lets go of her and takes a few steps back, happiness shining in his eyes but under that a deep sadness. 

“Shall we go to the cafe you mentioned?” he says, giving her that beautiful broken smile. 

She nods and smiles back, wishing so much she could make that brokenness and sadness that seems to weigh him down disappear. She leads the way to the cafe, glancing behind her to make sure he was coming. He was, a soft, sad smile on his face. 

“Orion, are you there?” She asks quietly. 

“Yeah. I’m here, I was keeping my distance since you were- ah well anyway what is it Shira?”

“I want to cheer up Ukyo san. He seems so sad.”

“Hmm, well I only know what I’ve seen from watching humans. Maybe you could make him laugh? That’s always good.”

“But how?” She asks, making sure to speak quietly.

“A funny story?” Orion suggests. “Ah, Shira the cafe is there.” Orion points out.

“Thanks Orion and ok I’ll try that.” She says. “Ukyo san in here! They serve the best Sukiyaki and Hot Pot!”

“Sounds delicious. I can’t wait to try it!” He says warmth and happiness in his voice. 

She turns to look at him to see he is smiling again, that beautiful broken one. She hopes one day, maybe when she has her memories back she can make him smile for real without any of that lingering sadness in his eyes and smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if you're waiting for the others to appear, I promise they will next chapter!


	4. Reoccuring Dreams and Returning Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After having a dream about a fire, Shira decides to look for Ukyo. When she finds him, she remembers when she first met him, a long ago day in the spring.

Fire, burning. It's hot and I can’t breathe. I have to get out. He’s waiting for me. We’re going shopping together today. I gasp out a breath, coughing from the smoke in my lungs and run down the stairs, fire is everywhere. I can hear a voice, is it him? I hope not. He shouldn’t be here, he could get hurt. A beam falls down in front of me. I crouch down covering my head. I hear a voice again, urging me to get out. 

I look between the slats of the stairs. It is him, I see his eyes wide and filled with tears, his long green hair flying around him and his hat askew on his head. I want to cry out, I want to go to him and feel safe in his arms again.  
But I can’t. I’m stuck and there is too much smoke….I can’t speak. I’m glad I got to see him, one last time….I’m glad...I hope...I hope he gets out….

Shira gasps awake. She’d had that fire dream again, where she thinks she might have died. What she didn’t know was who the him was her dream self wanted to be with so much. She knew it was a guy but she could never recall his face when she woke up.  
“Are you okay? You look a bit pale?” Orion says

“Yeah, I’m okay. I-I just had a bad dream-well I think it could have been a memory. I don’t know. I’ve had it before.”  
“What was it about? Oh wait, did it involve fire? I think I may have gotten a glimpse of it.”

“Yeah. I’m in my university and it's burning. I’m running down the stairs trying to get out when a beam falls in front of me. I stop and cover my head then I hear a voice calling me, telling me to get out. In my dream I know that I know whoever it is and that they’re important and that I desperately want to get to them but I can’t because I’m stuck and I can’t recall their face when I wake up. And that’s pretty much it.”

“Hmm. That sounds like a memory especially since it's so specific.”

“So I’ve been in a fire you think?”

“I think so, and this is just a theory mind you but I wonder if it's possible that it's Ukyo that’s calling for you.”

“Hmm? Ukyo san? Why do you think it's him?”

“Well,” Orion says holding one finger then continues speaking “For one, he seems to know you, two he seems to be sad whenever he looks at you, and three all of his warnings.”

“That is true, though what about him moving through worlds? He’s definitely human. I mean I’ve hugged him and held his hand.”

“That is true, that part I have no idea.” Orion says sighing and leaning back in the air. 

“Well...who knows. I guess I’ll get dressed since I’m up. Let’s look for Ukyo today.”

“Alright! We should just be careful if we find him sleeping. We encountered that other him last time.”

“Yeah, for sure.” She says and gets out of bed and heads to her closet. She pulls out a white collared shirt, a light blue dress, purple and white tights and rose pin. She quickly changes then goes into the bathroom and does her rose then closes her eyes to braid her hair. 

Without even consciously beginning to think of him, Ukyo comes to mind, the warmth of his chest against her back, his long fingers gently braiding her hair and the cinnamon smell of his hair tickling her nose. “I’m done now, my love.” She can almost hear him say. 

She opens her eyes and heads out of the bathroom, grabbing her purse and putting her phone, keys and wallet in. Setting it down, she pulls on her black coat and shoes and puts on her hat, grabbing her purse. “Alright I’m ready. Come on, Orion!”

“Yeah! Time to look for Ukyo!” Orion says grinning and pumps his fist into the air.  
She grins and laughs lightly opening the door and heading out. “Where should we look first?”

“Hmm, lets go to the park. He likes sleeping there.”

“Okay, good idea.”

They head to the park, looking for Ukyo on the way. They reach the park and look around for him.  
“He’s not here. Where to next?” Orion asks

“Hmm, I don’t know. Meido No Hitsuji? He could have gone there if he didn’t know I wasn’t working today.”

“That’s true. Why don’t we go there then. Even if he isn’t there, we can still say hello to your coworkers.”  
“You’re right, so let’s go there. I’m not sure who is working today, other than Mine because she seems to usually work opposite days than me in this world.”

“Well, I guess we’ll see.” Orion says

“Suppose we will.” 

They go to the cafe, pushing the door open. Mine greets her. “Okaerinasai, Aijin!” Then realizes it's her and greets her normally. “Shira senpai, did you come to see Ukyo san?” Mine asks in a low voice. “He was here earlier but when he learned you weren’t working today, he finished his tea and left pretty quickly.” 

“Yeah I was. But I guess I’ll have some tea. Just give me the special Mine.”

“Will do. This way.” Mine leads her to table 8, the table Ukyo usually sits at. She sits down. “Alright, I’ll have your tea in a minute, senpai.” Mine adds and hurries away. 

“Well I guess we missed him.” Shira says quietly to Orion.

“Seems so. Where should we look next?”

“Hmm...I don’t know. Maybe the shrine?”  
“That’s a good choice. I mean people like visiting there right?”

She laughs quietly. “Yeah, I think they do.”

“Your lemon and berry tea, Shira.” 

She looks up to see Ikki giving her a smile and holding out a cup of tea. “

She gives him a smile back. “Ohayo Ikki san, thank you for the tea.” She says taking the tea from him. 

"Ohayo Shira.” He says, giving her another dashing grin. “Well, duties await, see you soon. I cannot wait until you work again. It is not the same without you.” He takes her hand and kisses it. 

She grins and rolls her eyes. “Thanks Ikki san. See you in a couple days.” She had figured out by now not to take Ikki too seriously and knew that he only messed with her because she wasn’t affected by him and he liked that they could just talk normally. The only exception was in his world. 

She drank her tea, taking in the atmosphere of the cafe. It really was a nice place to work and come. She could see why they were so popular. The tea special was quite good today as well. She’d have to pop into the kitchen and compliment Shin and Kent or Toma. She wasn’t sure who was in the kitchen today. 

Once she finished her tea, she went to pay. When she finished, she peeked into the kitchen. It was Shin and Kent. “Hey guys, thanks for the tea! It was great!”

Kent looks up at her words. “You are quite welcome.” He says in his usual mild monotone. “Shin. Shira is here. She says thank you for the tea.”

“Huh?” Shin looks up and startles when he sees her. “Shira! Hi! Glad you like the tea.”

She smiles. “Nice to see you two! See you later!” She says waving and leaving the kitchen. She hurries out of the cafe heading to the shrine. 

“You really think he’ll be there Orion?”

“I don’t know, but it's worth a look.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
They reach the shrine and she hurries up the steps. “Ukyo san?” She calls softly looking around. “There!” She whisper shouts, spotting him a few inches away “He’s sleeping again.”  
“We might want to leave them. Remember what happened last time we woke him up?”

“Yeah...I guess we'll see him later.” She says and begins to leave but then notices something. He was crying. Not only were there fresh tears pooling at the corners of his closed eyes but there were tear tracks on his face. “Uk-Ukyo san…” she breathes, reaching out to wipe them away. As she leans down she is pulled into a memory. She vaguely hears Orion exclaim. 

She is in what looks like Kobe, in front of a large somewhat eccentric looking house and Ukyo is there, looking wistful and is crying as he speaks. “This house belonged to my grandfather. I guess you could say he adored me. When I was in elementary school, my grandfather passed away and left this house. I loved it here. I had made so many happy memories. But...the city decided this house would be torn down in order to widen the streets. I tried my hardest to fight it, but I couldn’t do much since I was only in elementary school. I was taken out of the country with parent’s transfer and left Japan without being able to see what happened to this home.”  
He gives a soft smile then continues speaking, a few tears rolling down his cheeks. “It's been fifteen years since then. I thought this house had long been destroyed. But...it's still here.”

“Ah, that’s right.” She hears herself say. “The building itself is very unique. It was deemed an important cultural site, not to be torn down. I read it in a book. I wanted to see the house and that’s why I came to visit.”

He smiles brightly at her words then looks at the house again, a wistful look on his face, tears pooling in his eyes. “It feels like I was able to reunite with my grandfather again. I’m so happy right now.” He looks back over at her, an embarrassed look on his face. “So, you probably noticed I was crying from the beginning. But I think you pretended you didn’t notice…”

She grins and shrugs. “Well I mean who would like to be seen crying?”

He gives her a small smile, still looking a bit embarrassed. “You must have felt bad for me. Thank you.”

“Man...who would have thought a girl would see me crying right after my return here. I did not anticipate that.” He says quietly though she caught it and had to hide a smile with her hand. “My name is Ukyo. And you are?”

“Me? I..I’m Shira.”

The memory ends and she is back at the shrine, a bit dizzy. “Whooaa….” Orion exclaims, seeming a bit dizzy himself. “Was that a memory just now? This is when you and Ukyo first met right? It's just a little bit, but finally your memories are coming back! This is good! Really good!” 

“Huh?” There is a quiet exclamation from nearby and they turn to see Ukyo stirring. 

“Crap! This isn’t the time to be happy! Ukyo is super horrible when he wakes up isn’t he? Maybe we should hide until he wakes up completely?” Ukyo sits up and looks around, spotting her. His eyes widen and he stands. Orion gasps. “We won’t make it in time!”

He comes over and when he reaches her, a soft smile comes onto his face. “Ah...you’re right there. Good…” He says and then pulls her to him, wrapping an arm around her and gathering some of her hair in his fingers. She is stiff with surprise for a moment then relaxes into it. He is warm and the familiar cinnamon smell of his hair is tickling her nose pleasantly. “I’ve been having bad dreams...they were so horrible….you disappeared.” He speaks softly in her ear, his broken voice making her heart break. “It was so sad and painful….I searched all over for you….and because of that...I just broke down...In the end I...Anyway it was all a dream. I’m glad. You’re still here….here…” He seems to realize what he is doing and startles. “Huh? Oh, gosh! Huh? What? I...S-Sorry!” He says and quickly jumps back. She immediately misses his warmth. “Was I spacing out again?” He asks, his cheeks faintly red. “I was touching you wasn’t I? I’m so sorry! It's my stupid right hand!”

“Um...I don’t think it matters what hand it is…” Orion comments.

She laughs a little at what both of them had said then answers Ukyo, laughter still in her voice. “Should I sue you then?”

“Well rather than suing me, I think it's better if you report me to the police.” He responds. Her eyes widen...she hadn’t meant that seriously...she had been joking. He continues speaking. “Not the non emergency hotline though. It’d be best to call the police station itself. I think there’s one in front of the station. Shall we?”

“Why would someone about to be taken into custody be so enthusiastic about explaining how to report himself?” Orion asks

Shira has to hold in a laugh at Orion’s comment, Ukyo was being quite enthusiastic. 

Ukyo blinks when he sees her not moving. “You’re not going to go?” He stares at her a moment then shakes his head slightly. “Well you can come to me anytime you feel up to it. If you want, I can go with you.” He frowns then, his voice taking on a more scolding tone. “But shame on you! Didn’t I tell you before not to come near me when I’m sleeping? You have to maintain the mentality of running the other way as soon as you see me, or it can get really dangerous. I’m so glad what I did earlier was all I did. It could have possibly been beyond the point of just calling the station. You need to protect yourself.”

Shira smiles slightly shaking her head. It was true his other personality seemed to be quite violent. But this him, the one standing in front of her right now, was harmless and sweet. “But I wouldn’t mind..” She says feeling her cheeks flush at the memory of his warm embrace and how much she wanted that again. 

Ukyo startles. “What?” He says, his eyes widening. 

“WHAT?” Orion echoes. “You have to mind! We’re not in that kind of relationship!”

“Um..You shouldn’t like being touched by men you don’t know…” Ukyo continues, his face beginning to flush slightly. “It's...not like you remember me or anything right? I mean not really….”

“Weren’t you crying that one time?” Shira asks a grin coming onto her face. 

“What?” He says surprise in his voice and then his cheeks flush bright. “Wait...you remembered that? Well...that was….man I would have liked better if you didn’t remember that...Of all the specific times you remember? That? Ah...I’m so embarrassed...I just want to die…” He backtracks, his cheeks flushing even more. “I mean it's nice you remembered a specific memory of me and I’m happy but...Why that memory?!” He sighs a little and closes his eyes. “But I see. You remembered that day, huh? Thank you. That means a lot. I thought it wouldn’t be surprising if you never recovered any full memories and eventually forgot me all together. This is weird.” He smiles, tears coming to his eyes again. “I finally met the you that remembers that day. That alone…” He gives a small laugh, “Might make me cry again.” His smile grows impossibly soft. “I-” He stops and his face changes, his eyes becoming hard and cold instead of soft and vulnerable like they had been a moment ago. 

Shira’s eyes widen and she takes a step back. Was the other him going to come out?

“Ah..” Ukyo mutters and she notices he seems startled.

“Huh?” Orion says, seeming confused at the sudden change. 

“Crap...not again…” Ukyo says, his voice is pained as if he’s trying to hold the other him back. He takes some gasping breaths then speaks again. “Sorry...Today...no good….You should go home. I’m leaving too.”

“Huh? Huh? He looks pained. Is he alright?” Orion asks, concern in his voice.

“Sorry for getting like this all of a sudden. Be careful okay?” He says turns to leave. 

Her eyes widen. She didn’t want him to leave. She had been looking for him for the past couple hours. She reaches out and grabs his sleeve. “Wait, Ukyo san. Before-” 

He turns to face her again, still looking a bit pained. “What is it?” He says his voice sounding mostly back to normal. 

She takes a breath, if he had to leave, she at least wanted this. “Before you go, could I have a hug? I’ve been looking for you for the past couple hours and you give really nice hugs.”

His eyes widen at this then he smiles softly. “Ah...you...the fact that you...after I’ve...Ah….I can’t deny you….I love having you close too much.” 

She grins then throws her arms around him. He staggers back a little, then wraps his arms around her and pulls her close. She sighs softly, his warmth surrounded her and the cinnamon smell of his hair was all around her. She may have only hugged him like this a few times that she could remember but the feel of his arms tight around her and the rightness of it seemed so familiar like they had done this countless times before. Even the sound of his heart beating so impossibly fast in her ear seemed natural.


End file.
